Blue Sharks take aim at Black Mambas

Cape Verde are set to take on Mozambique in their next Group B encounter in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Kick-off is at 4pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)

CURRENT FORM

The Blue Sharks are currently flying high after causing an upset when they beat the Black Stars 2-1 in Group B and are currently leading in the standings.

The Black Mambas held Afcon favourites the Pharaohs to a 2-2 draw in their tournament opener and looked strong in their attacking efforts.

TEAM NEWS

The Black Mambas’ attacker Clesio Bauque suffered a minor hamstring injury against the Pharaohs that could see him miss the fixture if he has not recovered in time for Friday’s fixture.

The Blue Sharks could rely on the same group that dominated the Black Stars and also avoided injuries to start on Friday. After making an impact as a substitute against the Black Stars, Garry Rodrigues might have a case for a starting position in their next fixture.

WHAT WAS SAID?

Following their win against the Black Stars, Blue Sharks winger Ryan Mendes basked in the glory of vengeance and redemption. In the 2013 edition of the Afcon hosted in South Africa, they were defeated by Ghana and knocked out of the competition.

"When we lost in South Africa, we didn't deserve to lose this game, but tonight we take our revenge," he said after the match.

As they look forward to their next game, Black Mambas defender Edmilson Dove says playing against the Blue Sharks is going to be a tough one.

“We played them before and they are improving a lot, but our performance against Egypt has given us confidence to go into the game with a positive mindset,” he says.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Garry Rodrigues: Rodrigues, who is 33 years old and brings experience to the team, will be vital to Cape Verde's attack since he has already scored one goal in the competition.

Edmilson Dove: The Kaizer Chiefs defender who gave a decent display against Egypt by neutralising star forward Mohamed Salah will be an important figure in Mozambique’s defence.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This will be the first time Cape Verde and Mozambique meet at the Afcon.

Nevertheless, they have faced off four times in the Afcon qualifying stages, with Cape Verde winning twice and Mozambique winning once (D1). In March 2021, at Estádio Nacional do Zimpeto, Cape Verde won 1-0 thanks to an own goal by Faisal Bangal in their most recent encounter.